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MANILA, Philippines ? The country now officially hosts the headquarters of the Asean Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) after the Senate approved a resolution concurring with the ratification of the Host Country Agreement signed between ACB and the Philippine government.
The Senate resolution was sponsored by Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations; with Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri, Senate Majority Floor Leader; and Senator Loren Legarda, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Climate Change, as co-sponsors.
Established by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) with funding from the European Union and officially launched at the 9th Informal Asean Ministerial Meeting in 2005, ACB is an intergovernmental regional center tasked to facilitate cooperation and coordination among Asean member-states and with relevant national governments, and regional and international organizations on the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, or biodiversity.
ACB works with Asean member-states in ensuring the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of biodiversity.
The Senate concurrence follows the entry into force of the ACB Establishment Agreement by six Asean member-states (Brunei Darussalam, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam), completing the process to enable ACB to become a full-fledged international organization.
ACB executive director Rodrigo Fuentes said the Senate?s concurrence of the Host Country Agreement and the ratification by the Asean member-states of the Establishment Agreement would now further strengthen Asean?s resolve to save and conserve the region?s rich but highly threatened biodiversity.
In her sponsorship speech, Santiago said the Senate concurrence with the ratification of the Host Country Agreement contributes to the sustainability of ACB?s operations as an international organization.
She added that the Senate action is an important contribution of the Philippines in promoting unity and collaboration among Asean member-states and in helping realize the Asean Community 2020 target.
In his co-sponsorship speech, Zubiri said most Filipinos and other Asean peoples depend upon the region?s rich biodiversity for their daily needs such as food, medicine, shelter, clean water, and a host of ecosystem services.
?The Philippines and all other Asean member-states stand to lose a great deal if the battle against unprecedented biodiversity loss is not won,? Zubiri said.
For her part, Legarda explained that climate change can cause a two- to three-degree Celsius rise in global temperature which may lead to a 3-percent decline in the global gross domestic product and a 30-percent risk of extinction of Philippine biodiversity in 50 years to 100 years.
?Biodiversity protection would reduce this risk,? she said.
Legarda added that protecting biodiversity would leave a legacy to future generations. She also called for the ACB to financially and technically assist the Coral Triangle Initiative to preserve the region?s wide variety of coral species and fish. The Coral Triangle supports the largest tuna fisheries in the world, which generate billions of dollars in global income every year; its healthy reef systems buffer coastal communities from cyclones and tsunamis.
